Christmas flights still down 14% on pre-pandemic levels

Easyjet Terminal Scene

Flights between the 21st December and 4th January will remain 14% lower than pre-pandemic levels according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirum with 30,979 flights set to depart UK airports.

easyJet (U2/EZY) is set to rank top of the Christmas flights with 5,928 flights departing over the festive period with British Airways (BA/BAW) coming in second. Ryanair (FR/RYR) and Loganair (LM/LOG) make up the other two airlines in the top 4.

A British Airways Boeing 777-200 takes off from London Heathrow (Image: Max Thrust Digital)
A British Airways Boeing 777-200 takes off from London Heathrow (Image: Max Thrust Digital)

Compared to last Christmas though the numbers are up 33% demonstrating the industry recovery is still going strong.

The busiest airport over the period will be London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL) with 8,172 departures with Gatwick (LGW/EGKK), Stansted (STN/EGSS) and Manchester (MAN/EGCC) making up the top 4.

The most popular festive destinations include Geneva, Amsterdam, Tenerife and Paris.

About Nick Harding 2050 Articles
Nick is the senior reporter and editor at UK Aviation News as well as working freelance elsewhere. He has his finger firmly on the pulse on Aviation, not only in the UK but worldwide. Nick has been asked to speak in a professional capacity on LBC, Heart and other broadcast networks.